Hair loss treatment and restoration: Online interest trends and video-based social media content.

BACKGROUND: Public interest in hair loss topics and treatments can be observed by examining online trends, such as those monitored by Google Trends. Social media has also gained the interest of the dermatology community. Video-based social media sites are being used to provide the public with informational content related to hair loss and treatments, but it may not always be unbiased or reliable. AIMS: This research examined the interest in hair loss and treatment related trends in recent years through Google Trends, as well as examined what videos from YouTube and TikTok that the average person may encounter when performing searches related to hair loss and treatments. RESULTS: Google Trends showed that the COVID-19 pandemic had an initial negative impact on interests of hair loss and treatment related topics, both worldwide and in the United States. External events, such as a celebrity receiving a hair transplant, can influence the interests of the general public with the topic. The social media sites showed that there was a high level of interest in the topics, approximately 25% of videos involved a medical professional, and many involved personal experiences or natural remedies. CONCLUSIONS: Interest in hair loss and treatments continues to grow. Clinicians should do their best to follow the current public interests and be aware of where patients may be obtaining information. Being aware of general interest trends online can benefit clinicians by allowing them to prepare their clinics for potential influxes.

Changing trends in surgical hair restoration: Use of Google Trends and the ISHRS practice census survey.

BACKGROUND: Hair loss affects most people at some point in their lifetime, causing anxiety and decreased self-esteem. There are multiple surgical and nonsurgical treatments available, with the surgical options having greater and longer-lasting effects. Such treatments have evolved over time with advances in technology and research, with numerous patients researching these treatments on Google. Many surgeons who provide these treatments belong to the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgeons (ISHRS). AIMS: To investigate trends in surgical hair restoration treatment from both the surgeon and patient perspectives. METHODS: Patient epidemiological and surgical data from the ISHRS were combined with search trend data from Google to analyze changing trends in surgical hair restoration treatment. RESULTS: Worldwide Internet searches for "hair transplant" have increased from 2004 to the present. Follicular unit excision (FUE) has supplanted follicular unit transplant (FUT) as the most popular hair transplant performed. Since 2004, there has been an increase in both nonsurgical and surgical female patients. Beard and eyebrow transplants have increased in popularity. Google searches follow this trend. Nonsurgical treatments such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) are being searched more frequently. Hair restoration clinics and Google searches were affected adversely by the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSION: Technological advances in available therapies, improvement in delivery systems, changes in hair fashion, and global events have direct impact on hair restoration treatments offered by physicians and researched by patients. It is in the best interest of all hair restoration providers to keep abreast of changing technologies and treatment trends to stay at the forefront of their profession.

Effect of COVID-19 Outbreak on Hair Transplant Field of India.

World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infection a global pandemic. All cosmetic, aesthetic, and hair transplant (HT) surgeries are stopped as elective surgeries may become the reason for infection spread. Most of the HT clinics have stopped surgeries or postponed till lockdown date limit. This pandemic situation has caused financial implications for these setups. India is still working to flatten the curve of the pandemic. Once the peak of the pandemic is over, virus may become endemic, and the risk of transmission of the disease to the HT team is also a possibility. HT field of India is thus in an extremely challenging position. We did a survey among the members of Association of Hair Restoration Surgeons of India (AHRS) to know the current status of the HT field of India and surgeon's perspective toward the situation.